Boston Business Journal Article on Mortgage Data

This week's Boston Business Journal has an interesting blurb on mortgage data:

"...Mortgage volume was off by about 30 percent year over year, suggesting that sales data may be especially weak for September.

The Business Journal analyzed the number of mortgages reported with the Registry of Deeds during the first 15 business days of September and compared the figure for the same period the previous year. The number of mortgages — which includes residential and commercial properties — in Suffolk County fell 33 percent to 608, according to information from the Registry of Deeds Web site. The northern section of Middlesex County saw a 32 percent decline in mortgages to 369 during the same period.

Banking experts say September’s drop in mortgage activity, coming on the heels of an already moribund stretch in home sales over the previous 18 months, is likely due to skittishness among potential buyers — not tightened lending standards among local lenders."